October 20, 2021. Energy Vision (EV), a non-profit research organization which studies and promotes clean, carbon-free fuels for a sustainable energy future, held its 15th annual awards event. EV annually presents awards to organizations and people who play a pioneering role in advancing sustainable fuels, especially renewable natural gas (RNG), the lowest-carbon fuel available, which is made from organic wastes. The 2021 awardees, who spoke at last night’s event, are Congressman Paul D. Tonko of New York, the City of Topeka, Generate Capital, and Glenfiddich/William Grant & Sons.
“One of the areas that Energy Vision and I strongly agree upon is the need to deploy and scale low and zero-emissions fuels,” said Congressman Paul Tonko, who was recognized for a Lifetime of Achievement in clean energy and clean transportation leadership. “The science is clear about the dangers of ‘super pollutants’ but we also know there are cost-effective solutions to reduce and avoid methane emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment facilities. Capturing methane not only has climate benefits, it can also be a new revenue stream. So I strongly believe we should be looking to support programs and enhance incentives that turn this waste into an opportunity. The transportation sector will have a need for a diverse set of clean fuels.”
“We’ve been working for ten years on how we can convert our Glenfiddich distillery residues into RNG that we use to fuel our transport fleet,” said Paul Basford, President and Managing Director of William Grant & Sons, Inc. Glenfiddich is the world’s first spirits brand, whose whiskey waste-to-fuel program is powering its truck fleet with self-produced biogas. “It’s very important for the food and drinks industry to make sure that we’re sustainable, especially with transport.”
“RNG is exciting because it’s sustainable, and with all the climate concerns and changes today, I think it’s really important for the City of Topeka to be among the first wave of municipalities to fully embrace this type of movement forward,” said Topeka wastewater engineer Michelle Neiswender, who managed implementation of an RNG production project at the City’s largest wastewater treatment plant.
“We’re proud to be creating and operating circular solutions for organic waste that help the world transition to a more efficient and sustainable model,” said Bill Caesar, president of the waste-to-value division of Generate Capital, an investment and operating platform founded in 2014, that builds, owns, operates and finances climate solutions in the renewable energy, water, waste and transportation sectors.
These 2021 Energy Vision awardees are in the vanguard of a growing trend toward RNG adoption in the US and abroad. In the U.S. approximately 200 RNG-producing projects are currently operational, up from just 60 five years ago. Another 120 are under development.